


you're the only one

by cwtchbuddy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety Attacks, Arranged Marriage, Awkward Dates, Dating, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, M/M, POV Alternating, Sheith Big Bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 23:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11839257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cwtchbuddy/pseuds/cwtchbuddy
Summary: “I don’t,” Shiro nervously licks his lips, composing himself, “I don’t think that’s the case right now.” He closes the door and sits down at the arm of the couch. There’s a forlorn expression on his face and although he’s never one to show the real emotions inside him, he can’t help his features from contorting into something sad.“He might have really run away this time.” Shiro remembers the look on Keith's face, how red it was from the anger bubbling just under his skin during their dinner with their parents two days prior. They haven't talked since and Shiro had been meaning to, though only gathering enough courage to do so now, when it might be too late.“What?” Hunk bites his fingernails. “Why?”“Our parents,” Shiro can feel his friends’ expectant eyes on him and he pushes the words out to end their curiosity, “they’ve arranged for us to get married.”“What?!”Roped into an arranged marriage by their parents, Keith and Shiro’s friends prepare dates to help them ease into the new stage of their relationship.





	you're the only one

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for Sheith Big Bang! My first ever big bang /sobs
> 
> Biggest thanks to my beta Jayci, who made this fic decent from the trash that it was;^; Forever indebted to you;; Thank you for putting up with me;;;
> 
> All my love to my amazing partner Trey, for the wonderful, CUTE AS FUCK accompanying [fanart](http://treycain03.tumblr.com/post/164362199280/my-piece-for-mademoiselle-amour-s-fic?is_related_post=1)!!! I am still squealing!!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!;;;; /caresses screen/ Sheith…
> 
> Thanks to the mod for organizing this awesome big bang all on their own!! H O W @^@ Thank you for this opportunity! TOT Great job to all authors and artists!! Def looking forward to holing up in my room and reading everything ; - ;
> 
> I know I could've probably done better but this is all I can offer for now/ _ ; I hope you all can still enjoy this!ヾ(＠⌒ー⌒＠)ノ /coughs/ I might write a sequel or side stories for this /coughs/

To everyone’s surprise, the door busts open with a panting Shiro who bends over once he steps foot in the room, one hand on his knee and the other gripping the doorknob so tightly, Hunk fears it’ll break.

“Is Keith here?” Shiro gasps, straightening up after a few breaths before scanning the room. Lance is, as usual, lying on the couch watching a movie while Katie is in front of the computer, focused on whatever is up on the screen. Hunk halts from moving the latest batch of cookies he just made from the oven to the counter to look at Shiro.

“He’s not here, bro,” Hunk answers, noting the sweat beading down Shiro’s neck.

 _Did he walk – or run might be a better word – down here and not use the elevator?_ The chef wonders as he watches the older’s grasp on the knob and how his shirt is clinging to his skin with his perspiration.

“Actually,” Hunk adds, “I don’t think I’ve seen him since you guys were called by your parents two days ago. I mean, not that Keith has never gone MIA on us. It’s just, he’s been doing so well lately.” He stops from rambling when he realizes the way Shiro’s shoulders have dropped along with his expression. Katie seems to notice it too, standing up from the desk to walk closer to Shiro.

“What’s the matter?” Katie inquires, pushing her glasses up her nose bridge. “Did something happen?”

“Maybe he just discovered a spot he likes and stayed there for a bit,” Lance comments, then yawns, “You know how he is.”

“I don’t,” Shiro nervously licks his lips, composing himself, “I don’t think that’s the case right now.” He closes the door and sits down at the arm of the couch. There’s a forlorn expression on his face and although he’s never one to show the real emotions inside him, he can’t help his features from contorting into something sad.

“He might have really run away this time.” Shiro remembers the look on Keith's face, how red it was from the anger bubbling just under his skin during their dinner with their parents two days prior. They haven't talked since and Shiro had been meaning to, though only gathering enough courage to do so now, when it might be too late.

“What?” Hunk bites his fingernails. “Why?”

“Our parents,” Shiro can feel his friends’ expectant eyes on him and he pushes the words out to end their curiosity, “they’ve arranged for us to get married.”

“What?!” All three shout in unison, Shiro’s announcement even forces Lance to sit up and focus his attention on the other, lowering the volume of the television even without looking at it.

“Wait, you two?” Lance starts asking, eyes wide with both amazement and confusion. “You and Keith, getting married? What?”

“I think you’d be great together,” Katie comments, a small serene smile on her lips. Her initial shock has quickly worn off unlike Lance’s. Hunk raises a thumbs up from beside her, wearing a small approving smile on his lips.

“Thanks.” Shiro returns their silent well wishes.

“Guys! That’s it?” Lance shouts as Katie and Hunk take Shiro to the kitchen for some drinks. “They’re getting married for goodness sake! Be more, I don’t know, weirded out.”

“Do you want the calzone or not?” Hunk asks from the kitchen and Lance begrudgingly hauls himself to where his friends are. He continues to ramble to Shiro about the whole marriage with his mouth full, years of etiquette lessons down the drain.

VVVVV

_When Shiro arrives at the hotel where he is to meet with his and Keith's parents, the younger is already waiting by the entrance of the restaurant, head ducked as he absently scrolls through his phone. He can see other people looking towards Keith, probably aiming to open a conversation with the famous yet mysterious racer. He knows this makes Keith uncomfortable and it’s the reason why he doesn't want to go in either; he knows he'd be in the hot seat without somebody else around for Keith to redirect the conversation to. Shiro quickly walks up to Keith, consequently blocking anyone who is planning to strike a conversation with the man. He sees the relief that ripples through the shorter man's features when Shiro lightly taps his arm and it makes the older smile._

_"Let's go in?" Shiro suggests, nodding towards the restaurant. "We don't want to get an earful about punctuality the whole time over dinner."_

_Keith nods and follows the taller man into the restaurant. It's one that their families frequent since it is owned by Hunk's parents, so the host doesn't even bother asking when she sees them, quickly escorting them to the private room that Shiro's parents have reserved. Their parents are, unsurprisingly, already there, both fathers on either end of the table for six, while their mothers are sitting together on one side, leaving the two no option but to sit beside each other on the other._

_"Ah, you're here," Mr. Shirogane says as the two walk in, gesturing for them to take their seats after they give their mothers a kiss. "We hope you don't mind that we already ordered for you."_

_Keith nods and Shiro responds with an "Of course not" as they finally take their seats._

_They catch up on each other's daily lives in the first minutes of the dinner. Shiro enthusiastically shares the design their company has planned for the new aircraft they will be manufacturing by the end of the year. Keith offers a nod here and there and a few words when asked about his upcoming races and what he's been doing in their company lately. Shiro can definitely see the sparkle in Keith’s eyes when the younger is asked about how his preparations for his race have been going and which competitor he is looking out for._

_In the middle of their main course however, Shiro's father clears his throat to catch everyone's attention. Keith's father nods towards him before turning to their children._

_"How about we get down to business before we empty our plates?" The older Shirogane asks, a small smile on his lips before he picks up his napkin to pat clean the sides of his mouth. Keith and Shiro put down their cutlery and focus on Mr. Shirogane._

_"Keith, Shiro, we have all agreed for both of you to get married." When the two younger men look towards each other in confusion, Mr. Shirogane adds, "To each other."_

_Shiro freezes, looks at his father with a puzzled expression before stiffly turning to Keith. He sees the younger's face turn red from what he assumes is anger, fists balled on his lap. He knows Keith, so well that he knows if there is anything that the younger despises in the world, it's being controlled by somebody else. The shorter man loathes having to follow somebody’s orders without reason and Shiro agrees (he himself cannot fathom why their parents would think this is a good idea, especially knowing how closed off to the world Keith is)._

_"It's good for the business," Mr. Shirogane says lightheartedly when the silence starts becoming uncomfortable. "Kogane Automotives is becoming more known throughout the world and our company is ever-expanding as well especially with our latest projects."_

_"I know," it is Keith's father who speaks up this time after taking a sip of his wine, "We know," he corrects himself as he watches the red liquid slosh around in his glass, "that this is not a very common thing anymore nowadays; to arrange your own children's marriage but we thought it would be the best for Keith." He lets go of his drink to take his wife's hand instead, who gives him a tight, reassuring squeeze. "Shiro, you know Keith best, probably even better than we do. We know it might be a little too forward and against your wishes but," the older Kogane looks at Keith, sad eyes watching his son's hidden face, "we can't entrust our son to anybody else."_

_Shiro notices Keith flinch at Mr. Kogane's last words, tightening his fists as he tries his best to keep his head down, determined not to meet anybody's gaze._

_They resume dinner after, as if they didn't just announce to the unknowing younger men of the future that has been already dictated for them._

_Shiro doesn't finish eating his food, his steak left forgotten on the plate as he steals glances towards Keith, worried about the younger's emotional state. Just as he's about to ask the smaller male if he is alright (though more to make the racer talk than anything else), Keith abruptly stands up, the feet of his chair making a muffled sound against the carpeted floor._

_"I have to go," the younger mumbles, gaze still cast down. He doesn't wait for the others to respond before striding towards the door to leave, Shiro on his heels to follow Keith._

_"Don't follow me," Keith tells the older man as he walks away, increasing the distance between them quickly._

_Shiro does as he is asked; he knows better than to go against Keith's wishes. It doesn't remove the worry in him though. He knows Keith, despite having a penchant for speed, drives safely as much as he can but Shiro worries that his current emotions will cause him to make a mistake. However, the older still doesn't follow him, going straight to his own car to go home to his place where neither Keith nor any of their parents would be, not bothered even a bit that he forgot to say his farewells to the elders before he left._

_With his increasing worry, he takes his phone and tries to call Keith. When that is unsuccessful, he just sends the other a text to tell him to be careful, not mentioning anything about the arranged marriage. He breathes out a heavy sigh when he falls onto his bed, comforting himself by saying it is better this way, for now. Keith needs his space so he, too, will use that time to think about what just happened and what could possibly happen in the future now that they are engaged._

_Shiro trains his eyes towards the ceiling, the night lights of the city outside (the only source of illumination for him as he didn't trouble himself in turning on the lights in his room) dancing across the surface. He thinks back to the night's events and turns Mr. Kogane's words in his head._

"We can't entrust our son to anybody else."

_Shiro wonders if he's worthy enough to have Keith, if it is true that there is nobody else out there who is more capable of being Keith's partner. He knows a lot of people throw themselves at the younger man, falling for the mystery that his aloof character brings, the handsome features and the fame he has, not only because of his family but also because of his achievements in professional racing._

_When Shiro thinks about it, their engagement could hinder Keith's opportunities of meeting the person who is meant for him. However, the idea of Keith being arranged to be married to somebody else, somebody who he is not familiar with, scares Shiro, afraid that the shorter man will not be treated right and will be misunderstood because of his personality. It's a cause of concern for Shiro, who has been there for Keith ever since they met at the charity gala of the Kogane's._

_Shiro suddenly realizes that he doesn't exactly find the idea of marrying Keith a bad one, despite having never thought of getting married at all before tonight. Sure, he's had relationships here and there, albeit short ones, but they were never serious enough for him to consider marriage. Those relationships were mostly with people others had set him up with, and they always ended swiftly with the opposite party saying Shiro didn't try hard enough. Shiro might argue that he was too busy at work but if he was being honest, even when he had any free time, it was spent with Keith and the others instead. Now that his mind has been opened to the idea of marrying Keith, however, it seems to be the only thing he can think about. Keith, his long time friend. Keith, the guy who refused to share his contact number the first time they met. Keith, who threatened to cut Shiro off if he scratches Keith's car that one time the younger was too drunk to drive on his own. Keith, the quiet, aloof, silently caring person who doesn't even like showing off his kindness. Keith, who has really nice deep violet eyes and a smile that is small but warms your heart because you know it's genuine._

As long as he doesn't object getting married to me, _Shiro thinks, an image of a smiling Keith popping up in his brain, a complete one eighty from the red-faced Keith he last saw,_ As long as he's alright with staying with me forever.

VVVVV

After finishing his calzone, Shiro turns to the youngest in the group, “Katie, do you still have that tracker on Keith?”

“Shiro, bro, you’re going to stalk your future husband?” Lance asks from around a bite of the cookies Hunk just made. “I mean, that might be cute for some but that’s so not you.”

Shiro bites the inside of his cheeks and admits to himself that his actions might make him look a bit like a stalker but he’s worried about Keith, especially with how frozen he looked after their parents told them about their marriage. “I just want to make sure he’s alright.”

“He does get in a lot of fights.” Hunk offers, shrugging, not completely against the idea.

“So your parents are going to use your marriage as a way to merge your company, huh,” Lance says, still on about the idea of Shiro and Keith getting married. When Shiro nods, he opens his mouth again, “But do you like the idea?”

“He has to,” Katie answers. “It’s for the company he’s going to inherit in a few years.” When Lance and Hunk point their eyes at her, she adds, “And it’s not like Keith is a stranger. I think this is the best kind of fixed marriage you can find yourself in. You know Keith better than any of us too. So I think this is the best for both of you.”

“That’s true but sometimes Keith and I are still awkward around each other.” Shiro lets Lance’s _Who isn’t?_ comment slide to continue. “It will still be weird to just suddenly live together.”

“I have an idea!” Lance slams his palm against the granite tabletop. By the way his eyes sparkle, something tells Shiro that his idea will be a really bad one.

VVVVV

Shiro leaves the pad earlier than the others and goes up to his penthouse unit. He lounges in his own living room, placing his phone on the coffee table after ending a call with Allura. They promise to see each other for a little catching up before she leaves the city again, the events organizer busy travelling the world for her projects.

He watches as the city lights twinkle in front of him, tall buildings with a few rooms still lit, probably with workers finishing up for the night. He lets his gaze move past these buildings to find a familiar one. There's a spire on the top and the logo of the company in bright red sitting at the rooftop of the building.

It is the Kogane Automotive Company, one he remembers visiting every now and then when the Koganes invite him and his father over. The building is the same as the others, most of its light are already turned off with only a few rooms still lit. He wonders if Keith is there at the moment or if he's already home. He recalls what Keith's office looks like and a small smile draws itself on his face when he imagines the younger with his coat off, tie pulled down and sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he makes final checks to their latest designs. Warmth spreads on his chest when he envisions Keith smiling softly after a day's work, relieved that his job is done.

Shiro leans over and places his elbows on his thighs, twining his fingers together before looking down at his phone. It's been a while since he last saw Keith, his calls and messages have yet to receive a response and though he is worried, he also wants to give the other space to think. In fact, now that talks of their friends setting up dates for them have started, he's actually relieved that Keith hasn't shown up yet. He doesn't know how to explain it to him when he finally comes to spend time with them at the pad and he is afraid of how the other will react knowing the others are aware of their arranged marriage. Shiro himself isn't certain how he feels about these set up dates.

On one hand, he is glad that their friends are very willing to help them out because Shiro believes he is the last person on earth one should ask about dating. He has been to a few but they are mostly dinner dates set up by his other friends or business partners, nothing out of the box and nothing he himself thought of. If he is being honest, he wouldn't trust anybody else in the world other than Katie, Hunk and Lance to prepare dates for him and Keith. While he is a bit doubtful about Lance, he knows that these three are the ones who know them best and will be best suited for the job.

On whether he is all for it or not, Shiro has some worries. He knows Keith but he also doesn't. He's quiet, reserved, temperamental and despite knowing him for years, he's still hard to read. Shiro has always considered others in every decision he makes and he's afraid that he's stepping on Keith's foot if he decides to push through with these dates without asking the other's thoughts on it. They haven't even talked about their marriage yet.

The dates are a good idea to help them be more comfortable with each other, to the extent that getting married to each other wouldn't be so much of a foreign idea anymore to either of them. It would help them get to know each other on a deeper level than their friendship allows. Shiro knows that their marriage is mostly for business but Keith's father talked to him during their dinner as if he is entrusting his son to Shiro on a personal level. For him to fulfill his role as a good husband to the younger and not disappoint his future father-in-law, he would have to be able to know Keith like the back of his hand and these dates would help him in doing so. He also thinks that spending time with Keith will help the younger slowly adjust to being around Shiro most of the time. Yes, they would still be separated by their jobs but at night they would be together under one house, sharing the same bed. Keith, and Shiro to a lesser degree, will most certainly feel awkward if they are just suddenly thrown into that level of intimacy.

Gradually, Shiro convinces himself that these dates will do him and Keith good. That is, as long as Keith agrees to doing them. He will try his best to show him the pros of these dates.

Shiro reaches out for his phone and tries to give Keith a call again, only to be answered by an automated response that instructs him to leave a message. He doesn't and instead, he writes Keith another message, not disheartened by the ten other texts which are still left unanswered. He hopes Keith will come back soon, so they can talk but mostly just so he can see for himself how the other is doing.

VVVVV

“Keith! My man!” Lance jumps from the couch when Keith finally walks in through the front door, a week later, clad in his usual wine red shirt, leather jacket and dark skinny jeans. “Congratulations on the marriage! Didn’t think you’d be tied down before me.”

From where Shiro, Hunk and Katie are spread out on the living room, they freeze at Lance’s words. It’s not really how they wanted to welcome Keith back, especially since they know that the marriage might still be a sensitive topic, given the lack of communication from Keith in the past weeks. So when Keith responds, they are bewildered.

“Yeah, thanks.” Keith doesn’t even shove Lance’s hand from his shoulder, it just automatically falls away when he moves to the kitchen for a drink. Even Lance is taken aback by his response, tilting his head to the side to inspect whether it is really Keith standing before them. When the guy with a mullet, wearing a red shirt picks Coca-Cola over Pepsi, he’s certain it’s Keith.

Katie places a hand on Shiro’s shoulder when the older starts to stand up and approach Keith, a gesture to tell him it isn’t time to talk about it yet. Keith may seem alright on the outside but there could be a billion different things running through his mind. Shiro sits down again and tries to avert his gaze from his supposed fiancé, knowing Keith will be able to feel it. He doesn’t want to make this even more weird between them.

Shiro does keep an eye on Keith though, especially whenever someone – Lance – mentions their marriage again. The younger maintains his usual blank expression, nodding or grunting every now and then with few words coming from his mouth. At least, Shiro thinks to himself, Keith is here now, safe and sound. He won’t have to secretly track Keith’s phone anymore.

 

“Okay! So we have a plan!” Keith looks at Lance with a mix of annoyance and confusion. He looks too enthusiastic and that never means anything good but even Hunk and Katie are giving him small smiles which means they might be in on this plan too. Shiro looks a bit surprised but something tells Keith he knows more than he lets on and when the older turns to face him, he looks away quickly.

“Plan for what?” Keith asks, his annoyance at Lance’s grin gaining in on his curiosity.

“You haven’t told him?” Lance faces Shiro, appalled.

“We haven’t really talked,” Shiro answers sheepishly, looking at Keith for a split second before returning his attention to Lance.

Keith furrows his eyebrows, scrunching his nose slightly, “Talked about what?”

“The whole marriage she-bang! What else?” Lance throws his arms up in defeat at how slow his friends are. They need to work this out together.

“We have a plan to get you two closer before the fated day!” Hunk wiggles his eyebrows, but his expression quickly changes when he sees the frown on Keith’s face.

“We don’t need that.” Keith grumbles, voice barely above a whisper but none of his friends have trouble hearing him.

“Oh, come on!” Lance urges. “Sure we hang out, we even have this pad where we can all chill together without invading each other’s space. But that’s not enough. You guys will be together.” And for emphasis he adds, “Forever!”

“Unless…unless Keith divorces Shiro.” Hunk says hesitantly, tone growing worried with every word. “Which…which you won’t do, right? Keith?”

“We’ve already–” Katie starts before Shiro interrupts what she was about to say.

“It’s okay, Keith,” Shiro consoles, “We don’t have to do anything, if you don’t want to.” The older addresses their friends afterwards, expression stern with his dagger-like glare pointed at them, “Don’t force him to do anything.”

Keith sees the disappointment in their friends’ faces, even Lance who almost never does anything voluntarily for him rambles about having already prepared something for him and Shiro. A light squeeze on his shoulder takes his attention away from the three in front of him and he regrets facing his future husband. There’s that tender look that Shiro almost always has on his face whenever he talks to Keith and it’s not really helping the shorter male’s resolve to not be swayed by their friends despite the other telling him to not be pressured by the three. 

Keith doesn't say anything in response to Shiro's comment to the group, and he maintains his silence as he stews on his usual spot by the window. His friends have stopped pestering him, though he can still feel Lance hovering nearby. He's grateful that Shiro is there to pull Lance away from him, preventing the inevitable argument between the two.

Fortunately the rest of the morning goes by uneventfully and no one tries to open the topic again. One by one, they leave for their own engagements; Shiro for a meeting with his father, Lance for a press conference about the new structure their firm has designed and Hunk to the opening of their latest restaurant on the other side of the city. That leaves the pad all to himself and Katie.

Quietly, he approaches Katie who is currently occupied, tinkering with something in the room she called dibs on when Shiro first brought them there, saying she needs her own room for when she gets bored with just hanging out. The youngest of the bunch has brought most of her new equipment from her original base – the Holt residence – reasoning she gets more done there than in the lab or their house because most of the time it's just her there with all the boys out and busy with their own jobs.

Katie seems to have picked up Keith's presence despite looking focused on the new project she's working on, some sort of small robot that hovers.

"Anything you want to talk about, Keith?"

Keith straightens up from where he has been leaning against the door frame where he was watching Katie work. When he doesn't respond, hoping the younger forgets he's there, Katie swivels her chair and slides it closer to him. It’s the first time Keith has actually looked at the room, noting how much Katie has transformed it to look like the lab she works at in her father's company.

"So what is it?" She prods again for an answer, pushing the goggles up to her head before pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged in her chair, a habit she picked up from Keith. 

"About the plan...you guys...prepared..." Keith mumbles, voice quiet as he is unsure if he should even bother knowing. If it was Lance, the guy would probably be on the roof by now, screaming about Keith finally agreeing to the plan. But, thankfully, this is Katie. She just stands up from her chair and pulls Keith by the arm and guides him to the living room.

"What do you want to know about it?"

Keith isn't really certain himself what he wants to know about it or where he should even start with the questions.

"Okay," Katie says after a while when Keith stays silent again, eyes on the carpeted floor, "I'll just start from the beginning then." She leans against the couch and relaxes into it before she continues, her small frame emphasized by the huge furniture.

“It was Lance's idea and Hunk and I thought it was good. I’m sure you're well aware of how you isolate yourself from the group despite knowing us for years already." Katie goes in blunt but that's why Keith likes going to her for explanations than Lance or Hunk because they always run in circles and stay vague. And Shiro, Keith just can't be left alone with him right now.

"We get it. You want your space and you still hang out with us. It's not like you come here just to be alone in a room, again. But you'll be marrying Shiro which means you'll live in the same house, be in the same room and sleep on the same bed with him for the rest of your lives. We just don't want you two to have too much trouble adjusting with each other once you start living together. I'm sorry to be frank but the bond you and Shiro have as friends isn't strong enough. Though he seems to know a lot about you, I'm sure it's just because he's very observant. You have to spend a little more time together, get to know each other on a more intimate level." Her last sentence startles Keith and she shakes her head vigorously at his alarmed expression. "Not _that_ intimate."

Katie sighs. She relaxes further into the cushions and looks at Keith. "You _are_ going to marry him, right?"

Keith swallows at the inquiry, biting the inside of his cheek before nodding shyly and turning his face away from Katie. Wrong move. He is now face to face with a photo of Shiro smiling widely placed on the side table. Keith remembers that time when the older finally got his license to fly, boarding them all into his family’s private jet for a quick vacation with Shiro assisting the captain. He looked so happy and so relieved at the same time.

"So?" Katie brings him back to the present, forcing Keith to forget the blinding smile Shiro gave him when they were on the beach after Lance threw the dodge ball at Keith, making him fall on his behind.

"Yes." There's certainty in his answer that he himself didn't expect it to have. Katie doesn't seem surprised by it though, as if she already knew his answer before he responded.

"Alright. So you'll listen to the plan?" Katie asks, getting a nod from Keith before continuing, "Lance thought we should set up dates for you two to go on. We've actually already prepared them, and we're just waiting for you both to tell us if you're going."

"Dates?"

"Yeah, like, you know, what couples do." 

Keith tries not to turn red but fails, the colour of his face rivaling the colour of his shirt. "You don't have to do it if you're uncomfortable. Just so you know, you don't have to be all lovey-dovey on these dates. We just thought you should take the relationship step by step. It's not like your parents have set a date for your wedding yet, right?" Keith shakes his head this time. His parents know of his aloof nature and have not opened the topic of marriage since the dinner but he knows they'll come talk to him soon.

"What do you have planned?" Keith asks shyly, feeling afraid the next second because their friends might have done an elaborate plan that has them going to theme parks and the usual kind of dates couples do.

"I'm not sure what Lance and Hunk have planned since we all promised not to tell each other but mine is simple and might be a good start for the both of you." The small genuine smile on Katie's lips reassures Keith that this might actually not be a bad idea.

VVVVV

The tickets are tucked safely inside the small envelope Katie handed to him earlier that day, small and pristine, despite how the younger always seems to have dirt or grease on her fingers. He inhales before opening it and taking the tickets out again. The dates are blanked out and Katie explained that it can be used whenever they feel like going as long as it is within the year. Keith mulls over it and wonders if he wants to prolong the agony for as long as he can or get it done as soon as possible. According to Katie, Lance and Hunk have also prepared dates for him and Shiro which Keith isn't sure he trusts one hundred percent. Looking at the tickets he thinks that what Katie said was right, it might be a good start.

If Keith is being honest, he is still wary about these dates and what dating means for him and Shiro. He has neither gone out of his way to go out with anyone nor has he experienced going on blind dates set up by friends. It's an arduous task for him, since it's one that has nothing to do with his cars so he always declines, giving priority to his job and his races. He knows there are people out there who want to go on a date with him, who want to be in a relationship with him; he's not blind. He questions their motives, however. He _is_ rich and famous and none of these people had given him attention before knowing his social status. He can see just how fake their affections are for him and it disgusts him. It is partially the reason why he doesn't like mingling with others in social events, sticking close to his friends if he ever finds himself in one.

Keith never thought of himself being with anyone but now that the idea of him being married to Shiro has been planted into his brain, he can't seem to shake it off and he finds himself not wanting to either.

Despite all of his inexperience and his lack of enthusiasm for dating, Keith doesn't feel particularly put out about going out with Shiro. He doesn't instantly reject the idea of going on dates with the older, probably because he is comfortable with Shiro who is someone that he has been friends with for a long time. He knows that Shiro is a good guy who would never do anything wrong to anyone and he wouldn't coerce the younger to do anything he knows Keith is uncomfortable with. 

He remembers the way Shiro looked at him from the corner of his eyes whenever someone mentioned their marriage, lips a straight line as he sends glares at whoever opened the topic. The older would always give Keith a sheepish smile once he's successfully made the others stop talking about it, as though in a silent apology for putting Keith in a situation he knows the racer isn't comfortable with. His actions just helped cement the thought that if there is anyone for Keith to spend the rest of his life with then it would be Shiro. Keith also feels guilty because of how Shiro welcomed him earlier despite running away and shutting him out for the past few days.

Keith groans and places his head between his hands. He admits that he has been selfish and that his reaction to their parents' announcement is barely mature. Even when he tries to justify the way he has treated Shiro since the announcement by saying he was shocked, appalled even, that his parents would decide things for his future without consulting him, he can't. Shiro has been nothing but kind to him. Shiro who was most definitely as equally surprised as he was. Shiro who, like him, must have been lost by the sudden announcement as well. He could have talked to the older and tried to understand their parents' logic but instead he didn't answer Shiro's calls and ignored the dozen text messages he received since their dinner. His mind was clouded and he wasn't thinking straight then. He didn't want to talk to anyone, afraid that if he picked up Shiro's call, he would just project all of his anger to him and say things he might regret later on. Still, Keith wished he answered to at least one message for the night the engagement was announced to let the other know that he just needed time and that he didn't need to worry about the racer.

Thinking of how confused and worried Shiro must have been for Keith makes the racer feel the need to do something in return for the older, to make up for his actions. He wants to let the other know, in his own way, that he appreciates Shiro's efforts and that he feels bad for just abandoning him when he should have been there for him like Shiro has been doing for him throughout the years.

The racer thinks about it and even though he doesn't think they are necessary, he finds that he is willing to do these dates, for Shiro. The older seems to not be averse to them and looked like he silently hoped Keith would say yes despite telling the younger that they didn't need to do them. Their friends think it is a good idea as well. He rarely thinks they have the best ideas. Dating isn't his forte, however, and probably anyone is better than him regarding it, so he trusts their friends' advice. Especially after hearing their reasoning, he's convinced that going out on dates with Shiro is a good chance to ease them into the next step of their relationship. He agrees that going straight to the marriage might cause them to have problems in the future because even if he and Shiro have known each other for a long time, they've always understood that there is still a line between them that labels their relationship as _just friends_. Stepping over the line all of a sudden might shake the foundations of their relationship and that would cause him to be more anxious and would have bad effects to their marriage.

Keith reaches for his mobile device, fingers trembling a little as he types down his message. Before he can talk himself out of it, the racer taps send and watches as the green line at the top moves from end to end and disappears. He lets out a shaky breath and presses the heels of his palm against his eyelids before returning the tickets into their envelope. The racer stands up without waiting for a response, walking towards the bathroom for a cold shower where he can think more about these dates and his marriage with Shiro.

VVVVV

Shiro cannot believe it but the message is clear and it's really Keith's name on the top of the chat box.

_Meet me at the lobby tomorrow at two._

He even pulls his bangs up and pinches his cheeks to make sure he's not just seeing things. Shiro is afraid to ask why so he just goes on with the rest of his day, anticipating the meeting with Keith the day after.

 

Shiro’s palms are sweaty and he's afraid he'll look desperate by going down to the lobby fifteen minutes before their designated time of meeting. But, he also cannot just stay in his room and he promised himself not to do any work on the weekends. There is nothing to distract him aside from the few books lying around his desk but when he opens one up, he finds himself reading the same line ten times. He gives up trying to distract himself and just changed his clothes to go down to the lobby.

It is already five minutes past two but he has yet to receive any message of where Keith is and although he's never been very social, the younger has always made sure that he is never late for any meeting or gathering. Shiro contemplates the likelihood of Keith changing his mind about today, given how often the younger has cancelled on everyone when he needed his alone time. The taller male isn't even certain why the other wants to see him and he is too scared to know. Right when he is about to call Keith, worried that something might have happened to the younger, his phone rings with a candid photo of Keith showing on the screen.  
"Come out," are the only words that greet him before the line is immediately cut off. Nothing particularly new. Some might find it rude but they – especially Shiro – have all grown so accustomed to Keith's way of doing things that he just stands up and exits through the wide glass doors. To the right of the driveway, he finds Keith's car, wine red, glossy, like it's just fresh out of the car wash. Without hesitation, he walks up to the car and opens the passenger side door, knowing that Keith likes to drive himself. The racer has always hated having somebody else do things for him when he can do it on his own and he has turned down every driver his parents would hire for him since he acquired his license. He also preferred to be behind the wheel, maneuvering the streets than sitting in the back.

"Hey, Keith," Shiro greets before closing the car door as gently as he could. The younger just answers with a grunt, not even meeting eyes with the taller male when he reaches across to open the glove compartment. He retrieves a small envelope that he thrusts at Shiro. The older man takes it and opens it slowly and carefully, unsure of what Keith wants him to do with it. The racer doesn't say anything though so he opens it completely and is surprised to see two strips of what seems to be tickets inside the envelop.

"They're from Katie," Keith finally speaks up, probably reacting to the confused expression on the older’s face. Shiro takes the tickets out of the envelop and sees that they're for a well-known art and science museum downtown. And then it dawns on him what the tickets might be for. Before Shiro can confirm anything however, Keith speaks once more, "I don’t want Lance and Hunk to know so I asked Katie to stay quiet about this for now." There's a sudden surge of excitement within Shiro and the way Keith looks shy only adds to the thrill. "I thought," the younger must have noticed Shiro watching because he turns his head away to face the driver's side window, "We could try."

"Sure," Shiro returns the tickets to the small envelope and places it in his coat pocket, unable to help the small smile that lifts the corner of his lips, "Of course."

VVVVV

Shiro hums as he looks at the map of the museum in his hands while Keith inspects their surroundings. There are big screens on both sides of the entrance, showing announcements, featured exhibits and a few reminders regarding their rules and for visitors to mind their belongings before entering the museum. The bottom two floors are for the science museum while the top two floors are for the art museum. Right in the middle of all floors is a wide spiral staircase where exhibits that combine art and science are displayed.

After giving their tickets to the woman at the entrance, they make their way into the museum. The first hallway is decorated like a jungle with fossil-like displays that bring them back to the age of the dinosaurs. Keith thinks it's exceptionally ordinary for a museum and he's immediately bored but Shiro, ever so excited about every little thing, reads every detail in earnest.

"You know, I thought this place was going to be about futuristic stuff but this is actually nice," Shiro voices out while he reads through a placard placed under what looks like an egg. Keith tries his best not to look too uninterested, moving his gaze from one display to another. When they emerge from the first part of the science museum, they are welcomed by a crowd, a mix of tourists and students there for a school trip.

Keith is harmlessly bumped into a couple times but the third time has him stumbling onto Shiro who catches him easily, pulling him close and into his strong chest. The stranger has the decency to apologize and Shiro has to accept on behalf of Keith who has pushed himself off of Shiro and walked away. The older follows without a word, making sure he can view the displays while keeping Keith (who has gone ahead of him) in his periphery.

There are more people in the area they next find themselves. It features planets, stars and things that are happening light years away from them. There's a thick crowd there (all eagerly viewing displays about the newly founded exoplanets) that threatens to separate the two of them. Shiro fights against a pushy crowd, keeping an eye on Keith, who looks too immersed in the displays surrounding him. The older braves through it, careful not to push children, and finally gets to Keith before he loses sight of him. When he arrives beside the younger, Keith is still absorbed by the words he is reading that he almost doesn't notice Shiro's hand grabbing his.

"I almost lost you there," Shiro hooks a thumb to point to the direction where he came from and then squeezes Keith's hand, "so I'm just taking precautionary measures if you don't mind." The shorter male doesn't respond but he also doesn't pull his hand away from Shiro's either, and the taller takes the silence to mean ‘yes’.

They take their time going through everything in the second section; although Keith doesn't speak too much about it, he has a lot of interest in things regarding space.

 

There is so much to see in the science part of the museum (given the fact that science has so many branches) that Keith is beginning to regret going there too late. He had originally thought that there would be less people during that time of the day but he was painfully wrong. The proof is in the way Shiro's hand tightens around his own every now and then whenever they have to maneuver themselves through a group of people. Thankfully, in his nervousness, Keith forgot to take off his driving gloves which are now absorbing all the sweat from his palms. It would be dreadful if Shiro found out how much he perspires just from the contact. He knows Shiro wouldn't really mind but he doesn't want to make such a bad impression and have his hands give him off so easily. Keith is already having too much of a hard time distracting himself from how strong Shiro's hand is and how the other’s thumb massage soothing circles on his skin. To hopefully forget such thoughts and his nervousness, the younger shakes his head which catches Shiro's attention.

"You okay, Keith? Want to sit down for a bit?" The shorter man just nods and lets himself be guided to an area obviously meant for parents to rest while their children roam around the play area built in the middle of the museum.

Once Keith finds a comfortable seat, Shiro excuses himself again, removing his hand from the younger’s. "I'll just get us some drinks." 

Keith cannot deny that he misses the firm grip around his much smaller hand but he tries not to dwell on it. This is just them trying to become a little closer by spending time with each other outside of the pad. Nothing special, he hammers to his head.

When he looks up and finds Shiro making his way back to where he is, however, he forgets his resolve because the other is smiling at him so tenderly, like there's nothing more important in this world than Keith.

"Here," Shiro hands him a can of Coca-Cola, staying stood in front of him as the space beside Keith is occupied by a couple who is tending to one of their children.

"Want to try the second floor now? We don't have much time left," Shiro says as he checks his watch. "Maybe we should just choose the areas we want to check out most?"

"I've already seen what I wanted to see here," Keith replies, hating the fact that he has to look up whenever he's talking to Shiro because if he doesn't his voice won't be heard by the older.

"Ah, right," Shiro gives him a knowing smile and Keith's not certain whether he should feel relieved that the other knows enough about what he likes or panic because he knows so little about the older in comparison. 

"Want to go up to the art museum then? I heard they have a little café at the top floor. Maybe we can hang out there." Keith nods and is surprised when Shiro offers his hand to him again. "Come on." He makes it look so natural, and Keith suddenly feels an unknown but warm, fluttery feeling inside him. Not wanting to be rude and humiliate Shiro for his kind gesture, Keith takes the older's hand and once again lets himself be led to their next destination.

"Wait," Keith realizes something right after they've passed the second floor, "isn't there anything that you wanted to see on the second floor?"

"Nope," Shiro answers without looking back, "I'm good."

The art museum is less packed compared to the science museum, thankfully, but Shiro still hasn’t let go of Keith's hand and the younger can't find a way to remove his hand that wouldn't be taken as rude. The first floor is a dedicated exhibit of Yayoi Kusama's art, and paintings and installations made by the Japanese artist are spread around the area. There are even spaces where only people eighteen and above can enter due to the mature themes. Keith finally finds an excuse to take his hand back from Shiro, telling the older that he needs to reach for his phone to take a photo of the paintings. The older lets go, a look of disappointment and realization mixing in his expression, making Keith feel bad but easily forgets it when he realizes he can finally stop worrying about his sweaty palms. Although he was never one for art – he can never understand it – he still takes photos of the paintings just to keep up with his excuse. Pointing his phone to a cluster of paintings to his right, he sees Shiro in the middle and without hesitation, he captures the image, smiling at how the other looks hard at one of the paintings to scrutinize it. Keith is pretty sure that Shiro also has no idea what he's looking at and though he finds it endearing how hard he's trying, he ropes the older into going to the top floor which is littered with contemporary art.

They give up on trying to understand all the pieces there, despite the descriptions written below, to find the café instead. They find seats on the balcony area since the inside is already fully occupied with people already waiting for seats to be vacated. The sun is already setting and Keith thinks this should be the right time to have dinner and be out of the museum. However, Shiro just bought him hot chocolate and waffles. It would be a waste and extremely rude. Besides, the view of the sunset from where they are sitting is really nice, peeking through the spaces between the skyscrapers. It is also nice how Shiro's skin looks golden and his eyes sparkle in the sunlight. Keith doesn't think suggesting that they move somewhere for dinner is needed, not anymore.

 

After Keith drops off Shiro back to his condominium, having declined the older's offer to have dinner, the taller male passes by the pad to see if anyone is there. Fortunately, Katie is still there. She looks exhausted, lying down on the couch, something Lance would throw a fit about not only because the couch is his domain but also because Katie has her dirty clothes from working on her new equipment which is not good for the cream-coloured furniture. The younger seems to have noticed Shiro's arrival, removing the arm that was covering her eyes, not bothering to sit up before striking up a conversation.

"So? How did it go?" Katie asks casually. She props herself up on her elbows when the older finally sits on the arm of the couch, looking towards the window. Shiro sighs then remembers what happened that afternoon before turning towards Katie to finally give her an answer.

"It went well." Shiro smiles. "Better than I expected, actually. I didn't even know that we were going to the first date until I got into his car. I thought it was a bit weird that he wanted to see me. It's rare for him to be the one to come to me, to any of us."

"You were worried he'd call off the wedding?" Katie asks, now fully upright on the couch with her legs crossed under her as she observes Shiro. She has a knowing look on her face that makes Shiro think that Katie would easily call out Shiro if he lies.

"Yeah, that did cross my mind." Then Shiro's eyebrows furrow. "Why didn't you tell me? If I'm not mistaken Keith didn't want Lance and Hunk to know but not me."

Katie giggles into her soiled hands, grease marking lines on her arms. "I like seeing you worry. It breaks that cool and composed facade of yours."

The frown on Shiro's face stretches further and Katie is unable to control her laughter. "You could have at least given me a heads up.” The older wears a deeper frown, seemingly thinking of something. “He declined dinner. Do you think I did something wrong?"

Katie tilts her head to the side. "Weren't there a lot of people at the museum a while ago?"

"The place was packed.” Shiro remembers the amount of people in the museum, along with it the memory of Keith’s hand, warm against his own. He smiles faintly, though careful not to give Katie a reason to tease him.

"Maybe he's just tired,” Katie suggests, shrugging before relaxing back into her seat.

"I hope so." Shiro follows her lead and finally sits on the couch seat and not its arm, feeling the tension on his shoulders loosen.

The younger bounces off the back of the couch and takes to the edge of her seat, a teasing smile at the corner of her lips when she asks, "Did you talk about the next date?"

"A little bit, on the way back." Shiro can already hear the giggle coming from Katie before he finishes his sentence, and he retaliates by throwing a pillow at her. He continues talking despite the blinding smile the smaller one is giving him. "He doesn't trust Lance to plan a good one for us. To be frank, I am also a little worried at what kind of date he has prepared for us."

"I bet my life savings,” Katie stretches her legs and places her feet on the coffee table; Hunk will get mad but he’s always had a soft spot for her, “he doesn't have anything planned yet."

"I’m not sure if I should be happy about that."

"You know, just because we've volunteered to do this for you guys, it doesn't mean you can't go out on your own." Katie says, suggesting subtly for Shiro to take Keith out without their pushing.

"I know that,” Shiro mutters, reminded of the way Keith looked like he wanted to run away when their three friends were enthusiastically talking about these dates, “but I don't want to overwhelm him." Shiro doesn’t want to see his future husband make that face again.

"I get that, just don't take too long.” The older turns his head to where Katie is, a little amused that the _younger_ is giving _him_ advice. “Have good intervals between your dates."

"You sound like you have a lot of experience.” It’s Shiro’s turn to grin. “Is there something we don't know?"

Katie shakes her head vigorously, the apple of her cheeks colouring pink as she scrambles to change the topic. Shiro lets it go, knowing she will tell them when she’s ready. They’ve never forced each other to talk about things they want to keep private anyway and Shiro isn’t about to break that habit.

VVVVV

"Hey, handsome!" Shiro hears the familiar sing song voice just a few feet away from him. When he looks up from the menu, he's greeted by a beaming Allura, a hand lifts to give him a wave as she walks towards him. He stands up from his chair and welcomes her with open arms, embracing her tightly before pulling away to inspect her.

"You look the same," he observes. When Allura pouts, he adds, "You're still beautiful."

"I already know that." Allura winks before finally taking her seat, Shiro also sitting back down on his chair. 

"Sorry I was a little late," the girl apologizes before calling for the waiter, "Coran asked for a little help for his company's upcoming party. He didn't want me to organize it though."

"Oh, yeah. How's your uncle? I haven't seen him in a while either."

"He's been well. Busy, but well." Allura nods, eyes feasting at the sight of the city through the floor to ceiling glass. "I'm glad he isn’t sick from all that junk he is eating." Shiro laughs as the girl's face scrunches at the thought. 

The waiter arrives with Allura's tea and a few pastries. She immediately takes a sip of her drink, and, deeming it still too hot, she focuses instead on the slice of cake in front of her first.

"So," Allura speaks up after a few bites of her cake, reaching for a macaron this time, "What is this big thing that Hunk's been telling me about?"

Shiro groans, hiding his face with his hand because of course somebody else would say something before he could.

"He wouldn't tell me the whole thing though, that tease," Allura adds after swallowing the piece of macaron she bit.

The man doesn't say anything, thinking first of how to say it without alarming Allura. However, his brain can't seem to supply how else he would say it without confusing his friend. So he just says it as it is.

"Keith and I are getting married."

Allura chokes on her macaron, coughing. Shiro's eyes grow wide and he quickly takes her glass of water and thrusts it towards Allura. Once she has recovered from her coughing fit, she looks at Shiro with a mischievous smirk. He expects her to chew his ear off for his bad timing but her smile just widens.

"What?"

"I can't believe you kept this from me!" Allura reaches out to playfully slap his arm. "When? Where?" She starts questioning, an excited glimmer evident in her eyes. "I get to be your wedding planner, yes?"

"Weddings aren't even your forte," Shiro scoffs before taking a sip of his own water, glad that Allura looks very supportive despite it being out of the blue.

"But still, this is your wedding," she squeals, "with Keith! I don't want anyone to ruin this special moment for you two."

"Why do you sound so excited about this? Aren't you going to ask why all of a sudden? And why Keith of all people?"

"I kind of expected it already," Allura shrugs as she whispers into her cup. Shiro pretends he didn't hear it but he can't help the pink that tint his cheeks.

"Our parents arranged it, just so you know." After Shiro says this, Allura rolls her eyes, waving one of her hands as if to say that the small details doesn't matter too much.

"But wait," Allura puts her cup down, "If you're not telling me this so I can plan your wedding, then why? What help can I give you?"

"You kind of asked, you know?" Shiro raises an eyebrow, Allura just responding with a knowing look as she sips her tea. "Okay, fine." The man gives up, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table which Allura mirrors with anticipation.

"I kind of need help with where to take him on dates," Shiro mumbles, the words a bit slurred with how he says them embarrassedly.

"Dates?" Allura parrots, high-pitched, placing her chin on her palms as she sighs dreamily. "Oh my gosh that's so cute," the woman grins, "I'm never going to let you live this down."

"I regret telling you now." Shiro frowns, knitting his eyebrows when Allura's grin just widens.

"Fine, fine. I won't tease you anymore." The woman sits back on her chair, fingers playing with the handle of her cup. "I don't really know much of what Keith likes aside from cars. However," she taps her chin before continuing, "I think it would be nice if you guys can do something that you wouldn’t normally do and something you know you both would be able to enjoy."

"Like what?" Shiro comes up blank. Most of the dates he's gone to are confined to dinner dates but he wants to do something else with and for Keith.

"I don't know." Allura hums as she thinks of what would be a nice date for Shiro and Keith. "Maybe take him to an amusement park? If you don't think he'll be comfortable with all the people around, you can just rent the whole place?"

"Wow, you think I'm that rich?" Shiro looks amused at the other's suggestion, as his mind supplies images of him sitting on the rollercoaster beside Keith, the younger completely thrilled as the roller coaster moves on the tracks in full speed or them racing in those bump cars.

"Uhh, your family owns an aircraft manufacturing company so, yes." Allura answers matter-of-factly, nodding to add conviction.

"Do you have other ideas?" Shiro crosses his arms over his chest, trying to pull as many ideas as possible from Allura.

"Just bring him to places you think he might like or places that are quiet and not crowded but has a certain beauty to it," Allura supplies with a small smile on her face. 

"What?"

"I'm just happy for you and Keith." She gives Shiro one of those sisterly smiles she always beams at him when she wants to show how proud she is of him.

"Thanks. I hope I don't ruin it."

"You won't." She reaches out for Shiro's hand and squeezes it, reminding the man why he has such a sibling-like bond with Allura, providing him with advice and support when his brothers can't.

VVVVV

“I cannot believe that you didn’t tell us!” Lance moans, “I am hurt.” He places the back of his hand on his forehead and the palm of his other hand over his heart. “So, so hurt.”

“Stop being so dramatic.” Shiro tells him off, offering Keith the bowl of muesli he’s prepared for him. “Hunk didn’t know either but do you hear him crying about it?” The eldest of the bunch hooks his thumb to point at the chef who is busy making a three-cheese sandwich for Katie.

“I am not crying about it.” Lance emphasizes each word, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just thought we’d be made aware of it.”

“More like, so you know when you need to start preparing yours,” Katie interrupts, taking a seat beside Lance and thanking Hunk for the sandwich he hands to her.

“Excuse me,” Lance turns his whole body to face the girl, “I already have something prepared for them.”

“Really?” Katie raises a skeptical eyebrow. “And what is it?”

Lance closes his mouth and scrunches his eyebrows, “It’s supposed to be a secret.”

“Called it,” the younger one says around her sandwich.

“I have one prepared, okay?” Lance pouts, reminiscent of the face he makes when he doesn’t get what he wants. “I just can’t say it yet.”

“Sure.” Hunk places the plate of eggs benedict in front of Lance. “Just eat your food before I take it back for your lies.”

“Not you too, Hunk.” Lance latches onto the chef’s arm and hugs it close to his chest.

“Just eat your food already.” Hunk struggles to free himself from Lance – for such a slender figure, Lance has immense strength in him.

“Just you wait,” Lance faces Keith and Shiro, “you will love what is to come.”

The two promptly ignore him and finish their food.

 

Lance slams his palm against the table where Shiro is reading through some reports. Under Lance’s hand is a piece of paper with some design on it, the words blocked by the other male’s hand.

“I’m sorry, Sir.” Shiro’s secretary looks terrified behind Lance, gaze moving from his boss to the visitor. “I already told him you were busy preparing for a meeting.”

“It’s all right,” Shiro placates, then gestures for his employee to leave him alone with Lance. His secretary follows his instructions with a little hesitation, knowing that Shiro doesn’t like getting interrupted from doing his work, including those in the form of unscheduled visits from family or friends.

“What is it Lance?” Shiro turns his attention from the tablet in his hand to his friend, who is grinning so widely that Shiro is actually afraid he asked.

“The perfect date!” Lance exclaims then pulls the paper from the desk to show it to Shiro who has to tilt his head to read the upside down sheet. The architect quickly turns the poster upright.

“A couple challenge?” The older asks, eyebrows furrowed as he reads through the details. “But we’re not a couple.”

“Not _yet_ ,” Lance corrects then offers the poster to Shiro. “I already registered the both of you, so no turning back now.”

“You didn’t bother to ask us first if we wanted to do this?”

“What’s not to want to do?” The younger asks, confused by the other’s question.

“But you know Keith,” Shiro protests as if Lance is missing a big point here.

“I know he loves challenges,” the younger responds a little proudly. “He hates mingling with people but there’s none of that here. You’re literally going to be just working together to finish tasks, which is exactly what you’ll be doing in the future, right? So why not start now?” Lance smiles deviously then pushes the poster once more towards Shiro, hoping he’ll take it this time.

“If Keith doesn’t want us to go, we will not do this.”

“Oh come on,” Lance whines, “I thought so hard of what date to make you two go on. I can’t just do some fancy date at a restaurant. Besides,” the younger eyes Shiro with a smirk, “I heard you already did that.”

“We just had dinner,” Shiro defends, feeling his face heat up after being reminded of taking Keith out on a whim after their day at the museum.

“Sounds like a date to me.” Lance lets one of his eyebrows bounce on his forehead as he says this and Shiro, embarrassed, looks away and grumbles that it was not a date. The younger shrugs and finally takes a seat on one of the chairs in front of Shiro’s table. “It’s next next week, so you better talk to him about it soon.”

“Why do I have to do your dirty work?” Shiro takes the poster and slips it into his clutch, making sure it is neatly folded.

“Hey, now,” the younger stops playing with the small airplane display placed close to the edge of Shiro’s table, “this is also a way for you to learn how to persuade Keith even better. Who knows, maybe next time you'll only have to spend hours instead of days trying to talk him into doing something.” Lance stands up from his chair and dusts Shiro’s shoulders. “Good luck, lover boy.”

Shiro doesn’t even have time between controlling his cheeks from turning red to Lance prancing out of his office to retort.

VVVVV

It’s still pitch black outside when they arrive at the starting point of the couple race. The area is just a clearing surrounded by the forest with white tents pitched to serve as the event’s base of operations. From afar, Shiro can see the small lake through the trees, the remaining moonlight reflected on its surface.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Shiro asks Keith one more time before they exit the car. It is only five thirty in the morning but the call time is at six and they have to be registered before then.

The younger yawns as he unbuckles his seatbelt, clearly still sleepy as he rubs his eyes cutely. “You said it would be a good way to test our ‘teamwork’.” Keith brings his fingers up to put the last word in air quotes before reaching behind his seat for his backpack. “Let’s go,” he says before stepping out of the car.

Shiro didn’t expect Keith to look at the poster Lance gave him, sigh and nod an affirmative. Usually it would take Shiro days, sometimes even weeks, to convince the shorter man to join a social event or even just go out to dinner with the rest of the group for a change. Maybe the dinners – Shiro would never succumb to calling them dates, not yet, at least – they’ve had together had some impact and the taller man is thankful.

“Registration’s over there.” Shiro points to a tent to the farthest left.

There are already a few people milling around the area, some chatting, some warming up, some doing both at the same time. Keith just follows Shiro wherever the taller male goes and the older feels a sense of pride that he makes the racer feel safe with him. When the girl at the registration comments about the smile that had creeped onto his face while thinking of Keith, Shiro just takes their tags and shirts.

“It’s a triathlon with a twist, right?” Keith asks when Shiro returns.

“Yeah,” Shiro answers as he hands Keith the shirt and tags. “We have to run, swim and bike together and there are challenges in between. The distances aren’t very long though since I think the focus is more on the challenges. They’re like pit stops, like the Amazing Race.”

“Let’s do some warm-ups over there.” Keith points to a vacant space just beside the registration booth. The younger is not as big of a health buff as Shiro is but he does maintain his good physique by going to the gym and having a proper diet. It still surprises Shiro, however, when Keith removes his jacket and then his shirt to reveal lean, toned muscles rippling underneath his skin. It’s like he is teasing the older by keeping himself topless for a while as he places his shirt and jacket into his backpack before wearing the standard shirt for the triathlon. He doesn’t look fazed when he catches Shiro staring at him.

"Warm-ups, Shiro," Keith repeats, a hint of teasing in his tone that Shiro hopes he isn't just imagining. He turns around and scrambles to change into his shirt, making a point to flex his muscles as he pulls on the tight fabric, wondering if it might affect Keith. When he turns around, he swears he catches the younger staring but when Shiro blinks, Keith has looked away, doing lunges.

An announcement calls all of the participants to the starting line, just a few meters off the shoreline. They rush to leave their things in Shiro’s car before lining up alongside the other participants.

The official has some words to say before they finally begin, something about enjoying the time they spend with their significant others being more important than the race itself. Shiro watches from the corner of his eye how Keith’s face turns a little pink when the man says this over the microphone. His face turns even redder when one of the couples beside them asks Keith how long he and Shiro have been together. But that’s not what has the older turning his head towards them, it’s Keith’s answer.

“A while.”

Shiro almost doesn’t hear the sound of the gunshot that prompts the participants of the start of the race. Keith even has to turn around and nod towards the lake where people are already running to, when he stays rooted on his place. Fortunately, he snaps out of it right away and he wades into the lake with Keith along with the other fifty or so people.

The lake is fairly small. Shiro estimates that the length they have to traverse is roughly one and a half times the size of an Olympic pool. Fortunately, there is no heavy current, no waves to counter their strokes. Even with their late start, he is well ahead of three-fourths of the participants with Keith a few meters ahead of him.

The water, Shiro is reminded, is Keith’s place. Swimming is his thing, aside from driving past the speed limit. He remembers Keith joining National competitions when he was still in high school. It’s a sport that can be done alone and Shiro thinks that’s what drew Keith to it. From behind, he watches as the younger gracefully moves as if he is one with the water, strokes strong yet elegant, like he’s just gliding through the surface. Shiro tries to keep up, using his height and strength to his advantage but Keith still maintains a good distance from him. A healthy competition between them, he thinks, even though it is a couple race.

 _Couple race._ Shiro smiles internally and once more tries to speed up in an effort to swim beside Keith on the last leg of the swimming course.

Once they reach land again, they find couples already scrambling to get to different areas where their choice of challenges are. In the middle awaits two boxes where choices are waiting for them. One of them says Black and the other says White. When Shiro looks at Keith, he has to stop himself from smiling too wide because the younger has that focused look on his face whenever he is solving a serious problem.

“Maybe we should do White,” the shorter man suggests.

“Why that?”

“Because, Shiro?” Keith mutters, eyes still focused on the boxes. Shiro tells himself that the blush on Keith’s face is due to exertion and that he shouldn’t think too much about it. “I don’t know. Pick whatever.”

“Let’s do Black,” Shiro reaches to open the box, “for fun.” He takes a paper that tells them of where they need to go and they leave right away.

Once they get to the area, Keith huffs, “Of course, you had to choose the one where we need to use physical strength.”

There are inflatable pools filled with mud in the middle of the clearing, on either side stands a small wall where there are ties. From what they can observe from the others who are already there and doing the challenge, the ties go around their waist and restrain their movement so they can only go halfway through the pool.

“Sorry?” Shiro apologizes as he follows Keith in one of the available pools, showing the official their piece of paper. Staff of the event start helping them get into the pool, Keith almost falls on his ass when he steps in too fast. It is a good thing that Shiro is nearby, quick to reach out and steady him.

Once they’re in the pool and the straps are secured around them, two of the staff start dumping balloons into the pool until it is filled.

“Inside each balloon is a letter,” the official starts with her instructions with an excited tone. “You have to pop them using your torsos, and form the word love. Pretty easy, right?” She is all smiles towards them when she finishes and Shiro is polite enough to return it before facing Keith.

“Ready?” The older asks Keith. “You choose the balloons.” The smaller one nods and picks up one that’s beside him.

“All right! Have fun!” The girl wishes them luck then blows her whistle.

The first few attempts end horribly. Keith keeps slipping whenever he moves forward and they kept getting the same letter, L. Shiro forced himself to move even further to keep Keith from having to exert himself and it rattles the stand that holds his straps. After a while they are able to find a flow. Keith stands as far as his straps allow him without having to pull them with force, choosing balloons nearby then waiting for Shiro to walk towards him, pulling on his straps so he can reach his partner. Only half of the balloons remain on the pool when only the letter V is missing.

“Do you need more balloons?” The official asks and the two shake their heads vigorously.

“Shiro can you just stay here?” Keith asks as they pop another balloon with L inside it. “We can pop them quicker if you don’t have to go back to your post every time.” The older nods, allowing the other to move around, picking up balloons and popping it between them. He’s almost at his limit, the band already stretched painfully over his torso, when Keith shouts. “Got it!”

When he hears the younger exclaim, Shiro's instinct is to plop to the bottom of the pool from exhaustion, but instead, he returns to his post and waits for the staff to release him from the straps.

The girl places a sticker on their shirts as an indicator that they have finished the challenge. She then points them towards the washing area and where they can get their bicycle for the next course.

“It’s too early to be this active.” Shiro hears one of the men from a neighboring stall.

Keith is quick to clean himself from all the mud that has splattered on his upper body and the ones that were on his lower area due to his falls. Shiro rushes towards Keith, who clicks his tongue when Shiro finally reaches him. The younger wets the small towel they were given and wipes the remaining mud off the taller man’s face.

“T-thanks,” Shiro stutters when Keith is done, and he gets a nod in response.

“I’ll take the front,” the younger announces once they reach the area where the bikes are waiting for them. Two-seaters. Shiro should have guessed it, considering that this is all about couple bonding.

“I won’t say no to that,” Shiro smiles at the shorter male as he takes the seat on the second bike. It’s not a car but Shiro is certain that Keith will be able to maneuver it easily.

There’s a GPS attached to the front of the bike that points them to the route they need to take to get to their second stop. It’s a 20 kilometer course that runs around the base of the mountain. At the 10 kilometer mark, an official waits for them and hands them an envelope with their mission inside. For the remaining 10 kilometers, they have to find clues in the areas along the route. These will be used for the challenge waiting for them at the end of the bike course. However, there is a trick to this challenge: they will have to exchange partners with another team.

Keith knits his eyebrows at that detail and he promptly scowls at the official when he tells Keith and Shiro to wait for the next participants who will be their partners for the mission.

“I thought this was supposed to be a couple’s challenge,” Keith grumbles, reading through the mission card again. “Why do we have to work with others then?”

“It’s a test of trust,” the official says simply, unfazed by Keith’s attitude, a skill he must have picked up from years of interacting with different kinds of people.

Shiro places a hand on Keith’s shoulder as he gets off the bike, “You’re going to be fine.” He waits for the other to nod, encouraging him to answer by squeezing Keith’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, it will be over soon. Just do your best for now and I’ll see you at the end of the course.”

Keith looks like he has something to say but another couple comes just in time and takes away his attention.

“Ah, you guys must be our partners,” one of the participants walk up to them, stretches an arm and offers his hand, “Greg.”

Shiro is the first to react, mirroring the man’s gesture, “Shiro and this is Keith,” he waves towards the younger who just lifts his hand.

“Great!” Greg exclaims then points to the girl on the tandem bike he left behind. “Ah, my girlfriend will be your partner, Shiro. She’s a bit exhausted from the mud challenge so she can’t bike much and we thought it would be easier if you do the biking and she finds the clues.”

“Sounds good to me,” Shiro agrees and turns to Keith again, he places a palm on the younger’s neck, letting his thumb caress the other’s cheek. “I’ll see you later, Keith.”

The older gingerly removes his hand and walks towards the girl who introduces herself as Lilly. He looks back at Keith once more before they finally part and speed off on two different routes. Shiro converses with Lilly about her relationship with Greg and it inevitably leads to them talking about Keith. She is shocked when she hears about their arranged marriage and thinks it is cute that they’re making the effort to go out on dates even though they’ve known each other for years. 

Whenever Lilly goes off to look for clues, Shiro sits and waits on the bike. He thinks about Keith and what he might be doing at the moment, if he’s getting along with Greg or if he’s being too closed off again. Shiro gets worried and wants to call Keith but he remembers that they left their phones in the car since they are not allowed to have them during the event. This only makes Shiro worry more, without a line of communication with Keith, he can’t be sure if the other is doing alright or if he’s having troubles with his new partner. But there’s nothing he can do at the moment but finish the mission as quickly as they can so they can be reunited with their partners.

VVVVV

Keith is pissed. His thoughts are getting clouded by his emotions, his breathing has picked up pace and his focus is off. He feels as if Shiro has abandoned him to go gallivanting with another person. He feels like Shiro doesn’t want him, doesn’t need him at all. Shiro is probably sick of him already and thinks Keith is just a burden and no fun to be with that’s why he so gladly left Keith behind to do the rest of the course with Lilly. And worse of all, this Greg guy is too talkative. He asks too many questions and is too slow with the mission. They’ve arranged for both of them to bike and find clues and it seems his new partner is here for the scenery more than for the prize.

“We don’t have all day,” Keith moans when he finds the guy taking in the view of the lake from where they are, going as far as stopping and leaving his bike by Keith to walk closer to the cliff.

“But we don’t get to see this everyday,” Greg pouts – he actually pouts.

“Look,” Keith fumes, “we’re here to win, not to smell the flowers, so get on with it.”

Greg laughs and it confuses Keith, “You just miss Shiro, huh. I get it.” The other man laughs again and Keith wants to punch him in the face because no that’s not it. He doesn’t want to see Shiro. On the contrary, he’s mad at Shiro because Shiro left him to be with somebody else. 

Keith feels his eyes water, his airways constrict and his heart palpitate. Distantly he hears Greg run towards him, shouting some things he’s too deaf to hear due to the blood pounding in his ears drowning out everything else. He feels like hurling the breakfast he had that morning. He feels his fingers numb and loosen where they’re around the handle of the bike. Before he can even recognize the signs of the attack, he starts retching on the side of the road, knees going weak and instantly giving out and making him fall to the ground where he continues to extricate his previous meal. He doesn’t remember when he passes out, he just has a memory of a familiar voice calling his name.

 

"Keith?" The same familiar voice wakes him and he feels a gentle hand pushing his hair back, his sweat making it cling to his face. "Keith?" The silhouette of Shiro's face welcomes him when he opens his eyes, the sun above too bright that it creates a halo around his head, his usually rough voice goes soft when Keith starts moving.

"Keith, are you alright?"

"Let's finish this thing," is all the younger says as he glances towards Greg and Lilly, who are standing to the side, watching as Keith pushes first Shiro, and then the medics away from him.

"They told us we can't rejoin anymore," Shiro answers, voice a little hushed as he approaches Keith.

"What?" Keith snaps, eyes fiery as he points his gaze towards his partner. "I can still go."

The officials cut in explaining that they do not allow participants to return to the course after they've suffered anything that might be detrimental to their health even if they do not show signs of it after a few minutes of rest.

Keith bites back the _bullshit_ that he wants to say. He is completely fine. It was just the heat, he reasons. However, the official and the medic seem adamant about their decision and they start guiding Keith and Shiro towards the van that will take them back to the starting point.

The younger stays quiet during the ride, deciding that staying quiet is better than letting his emotions influence his words. He’s mad at himself for letting his negative thoughts get the best of him and he is disappointed that it ended up with him and Shiro being unable to finish the race. He can feel Shiro watching him but he does not bother facing him, does not even bother getting in the older’s car to get home. Instead, he takes his backpack and walks down the small hill that leads to the starting line to hail a cab. He hears Shiro call out to him. Keith isn't exactly certain how to feel about that. In one hand he feels relieved that he isn’t being subjected to talking to Shiro, at least not now, when he is still full of emotions that he isn't sure he can contain. On the other, he wants Shiro to keep running after him, to hold him like he did in college, when Keith ran away from his parents and Shiro was the only one who bothered to look for him.

When Keith finally gets home that night, he locks himself in his room. As he looks back on their date today, he wonders how this arranged marriage could ever work. If the two of them can't even complete a simple couple's challenge, how would they ever tackle their problems down the road as a married couple? He would only end up dragging Shiro down with him and the taller deserved so much more. He deserved someone that was at least his equal, not someone who couldn't even pull his weight to finish a damn bike race.

Reaching for his mobile device, Keith types out a message to Shiro, "Let's stop this dating thing. I'll talk to my parents tomorrow to see if we can cancel the wedding." His finger hovers over the "send" button for a moment, teeth grinding together at the finality of his words. He hesitates before going back to change his wording and hitting send. He tosses his phone aside and buries his face in his pillow. He tries to convince himself that this is the best choice for everyone, even though a tiny voice of hope told him there was still a chance Shiro might tell him not to cancel their arrangement.

VVVVV

"So? Did you guys enjoy it?" Lance asks the next morning, perky as usual, eyes wide as he awaits Shiro's response. Keith is missing but it's not as if he's always present for their Monday breakfasts. "My assistant said he and his girlfriend enjoyed it when they joined last year," the designer elaborates, slowly sitting at the edge of his seat in anticipation, "So?"

"We didn't finish it," Shiro answers gloomily, recalling the text he received from Keith the night of the couple's challenge: _"Let's stop this dating thing. I can also talk to my parent's to see if we can cancel the wedding if you want."_ He hadn't replied to the message, not sure what answer he'd send back. If Keith really wanted to cancel the marriage, Shiro should honour his choice, but at the same time, Shiro wasn't sure he was ready to throw in the towel; he still wanted things to work with Keith.

 

"But, you were with Keith. We all know how competitive he is." Lance looks at the older with disbelief. "What happened?"

"Anxiety attack, I think." Shiro says, and everyone's shoulders drop. Hunk switches the stove off and sits down at the table with his friends.

"Is he all right?" Katie asks, abandoning her sandwich on the plate to turn her full attention to Shiro.

"He," Shiro sighs heavily, unable to finish his sentence. The eldest reaches for the phone in his pocket to show the message Keith wrote to him the night before.

Silence takes over the room: Hunk looks over from the soups he's making, Katie stops midway through biting into her sandwich and Lance blinks blankly. The only sound that can be heard in the room is that of the boiling soup.

"Oh, no," Hunk reacts first, gasping and placing a hand over his mouth after. "Did you talk to your parents about it yet?"

"No," Shiro replies glumly, looking down at the message that is lighting up his mobile device.

After a few seconds of silence, Katie speaks up, "Have you tried calling him?"

"I wanted to but even if I did, you know he would not answer."

"You should at least try," the girl encourages, "who knows, maybe he's just waiting for you to call him."

"I'm sorry, man," Lance sincerely apologizes, appearing to finally grasp everything that happened after the shock has worn off.

"It's all right, Lance," Shiro reassures him, "It's not as if you knew this would happen."

"Seriously, Shiro," Katie takes his attention again, "you should really try calling him."

"Yeah, I will."

VVVVV

"Sir?" Shiro's assistant, Jake, calls him. The younger man repeats himself when Shiro doesn't respond, staring blankly at the desktop before him instead. "Sir? Sir, you have a meeting in a few minutes." Jake reminds him when Shiro finally realizes he's not alone and snaps out of his reverie.

"Is something bothering you, Sir?" The assistant asks when Shiro finally starts gathering his things to prepare for the meeting, happening in less than five minutes. Shiro manages to nod. He can’t even verbalize an answer with how distraught he is.

"We can worry about it later, Sir. Your father will be in the meeting." Shiro's assistant reminds him again like he did that morning. His father will have the last say whether the company will approve Shiro’s project or not, therefore he needs to be at his best when presenting it. With this, Shiro takes in a deep breath and tries his best to put his business man face on before leaving his office, knowing that his assistant is correct. His problems with Keith can wait until later, for now he has to focus on the task at hand. After all, he can't have both his business and his love life come crashing down at the same time.

 _Love life,_ he turns the words in his head before they reach the doors to the conference room where a collection of people are waiting for him to discuss the current status of the company and what their plans are for the future.

 

A hissing sound makes Shiro turn his attention from his tablet to where the noise is coming from. His assistant promptly places the can of soda on a coaster before pushing it towards his boss.

"I know you rarely have soft drinks but it’s either that or coffee and you’ve already had too much of that drink for today," Jake tells Shiro as he takes a seat on one of the chairs in front of his boss’ desk. "You had it tough back there, everyone was coming at you all at once, doubting your plans, but as usual, you answered all of their questions with great knowledge and a good grasp of what you really want for the company."

"Is this how you ask for a raise?" Shiro jokes, finally giving in and taking a sip from the can. The younger shakes his head vigorously, raising his hands to wave no at the same time just in case. 

"You're not really here to compliment me for what I did back there, right?"

Jake has been working for Shiro for the past four years, and of all the assistants he’s had Shiro can say with confidence that Jake is the best one. Considering the years they’ve been working together, they’ve also created a relationship close enough that they can also confide in each other about matters outside of work. And, just like Jake can read his boss' mood, Shiro can almost always tell what his assistant is thinking.

The question has Jake nodding slowly, tapping the sides of his own drink before looking up and giving Shiro a small smile again. "You always have it together that it makes me really concerned. I know you have your friends so maybe you should talk to them about this problem. As your assistant," Jake nervously eyes his boss, only continuing when the older gestures for him to continue, "it concerns me as well, since we're trying to expand the company further and I'm just afraid that external and personal problems might affect it. I just don't want everything that you worked hard for to go down the drain."

Shiro sighs and he can already hear the apology at the tip of his assistant's tongue so he raises a hand that instantly makes Jake close his mouth.

"I understand, really, and I appreciate your concern for me and the company." Shiro breathes out heavily again. "I just don't really know how to get around this problem."

"Maybe talk to your best friend about it or your friends?" Jake offers, tone sincere.

"I've talked to my friends, yes, but I have yet to get a hold of Matt."

And as if he heard his name being called, Shiro's mobile phone rings and shows him that it's a call from his best friend.

"Speaking of the devil," he says as he grabs his phone. Jake quietly stands up to excuse himself and allow Shiro some privacy that the older thanks him for. 

"Hey!" Matt's voice is loud and clear but the background noise of what seems like a drill, probably part of his exploration project in the Kalahari, is louder and Shiro has to shout to instruct his best friend to go to a more quiet location. "So, what's up? I finally get a good cell signal, and find that you've sent me a thousand HELP messages with no context. I thought something bad happened to you but nothing was on the news about the Shirogane Aircraft Industries COO so I figured I'd just call you."

"May I speak now?" Shiro interrupts before Matt can go on and on about whatever is on his mind.

"Ah, yes, of course," his best friend answers enthusiastically.

"It's about Keith," Shiro starts and before Matt can add anything more to his _"Oh no, what did you do to him?"_ interjection, he continues, "I don't know what to do anymore."

"What happened exactly?" Matt questions and Shiro proceeds in telling him about the couple's race and the message that Keith sent to him afterwards. He also shared that his parents have yet to talk to him about his arranged marriage with the younger male so he isn't quite certain whether or not Keith went on and told his own parents to cancel the wedding.

"You know you can solve this by calling him and talking to him, right?" Matt answers with an exhausted tone, as if to tell Shiro that it's so obvious and that he's so dumb for not having done it yet.

"But you know Keith," Shiro tries not to whine but the younger's name comes out a little more elongated than he wanted it to, "what if he doesn't answer?"

"What if he does?"

"What do I even say if he does? ‘Hey, listen I don't want to cancel our wedding, I hope that you’ll reconsider?’"

"How about," with the teasing tone in Matt's voice, Shiro can already predict that he will not like what his best friend is about to say, "Hey, I've liked you for a long time and I know I fucked up my chance with you but will you still give me one more and I will prove to be better this time?"

"What the hell?" Shiro says just above a whisper.

"Perfect, right?" Matt says, giggling. Shiro can just imagine him wiping the tears from beneath his glasses.

"You're spending too much time with Lance," Shiro groans, wiping a hand over his face when he remembers the architect sending him a photo of himself hanging out with Katie and Matt before the scientist left for his trip to the Kalahari.

"Well, he's dating my sister, so yeah," Matt says, accidentally giving away a secret.

"He's what?" Shiro shouts into the mouthpiece. The news is too much of a shock, and he ends up standing up from his seat.

"Oops, sorry, gotta go!" Matt doesn't exactly sound sorry for what he has just dropped on Shiro as the sound of the drill becomes louder again. "Also, since you're so afraid that Keith will ignore your call, why not just go to his place? And remember, just tell Keith what you really feel! Be honest with him! Okay, talk later, Shiro!”

Before Shiro can even clarify anything with his best friend, the line goes dead and when he tries to call Matt back, he can't reach him anymore.

"And here I thought I'd have a proper conversation with someone at last," Shiro says into his blank phone screen before plopping back down to his seat and laying his head on the desk. "At least he gave me a good idea." Shiro grunts at the thought and buries his face into his arms.

VVVVV

“Mr. Shirogane is waiting for you in the receiving room, Sir,” the butler tells Keith as soon as he enters the house, his leather jacket thrown haphazardly over his shoulder. He gives the older man a confused look who just clears his throat and clarifies, “Takashi, Sir. He’s been here since your parents finished dinner.” Keith doesn’t say a word, and instead, just walks to the area where the butler says Shiro is, heart pounding crazily against his chest. When the butler trails behind him, he gives him another look which the other understands right away and he disappears before Keith reaches the receiving room.

Before he can take the final turn to get to the receiving room, Keith halts, anxiety crippling him. His brain unhelpfully enumerates all the possible reasons as to why Shiro is there, the older agreeing to cancel their wedding being the most obvious. After sending that text message to Shiro the night after the couple race, Keith has been on edge, and now that the inevitable talk regarding their marriage has finally arrived, he feels like running away again. The racer shakes his head, lightly slaps his cheeks and tells himself that he needs to do this, that he can’t leave Shiro in the dark again like he did when they first learned of their arranged marriage. Keith takes his time to calm his heart before continuing his journey to the receiving room.

Shiro’s back is facing him and he’s leaning against one of the pillars while looking out the window. He has shed his coat and the tight-fitting custom made dress shirt he’s wearing is hugging his figure, the lights from the chandelier casting shadows that do nothing but define the muscles beneath the fabric. Keith quietly closes the door behind him. The sound of the door knob clicking prompts the older to turn around and Keith almost regrets coming into the room because of how the sight of the Shiro standing before him makes his heart almost stop.

After not meeting Shiro for a few days – five, he swears he hasn’t been keeping track – he feels somewhat relieved that he finally gets to see him again. But now that he is here, in the flesh, in front of Keith, the younger realizes his feelings for Shiro. And although he said before that he is willing to cancel everything, seeing Shiro’s soft, warm smile makes him doubt he’ll be able to do it. He also isn’t sure what to say to Shiro after all that happened and everything he said.

Instinctively, when Shiro takes a step forward, Keith takes one step back and the younger watches as the stretch of the other’s lips falters, his feet halting. There’s a distraught expression on the taller man’s face and Keith blames himself for it, heart breaking when Shiro stays and doesn’t force himself on the younger.

“Hey,” Shiro calls out from where he is. He smiles again when Keith meets his gaze. “How have you been?”

“Good,” the younger answers, gaze turned away from Shiro.

“I meant to talk to you earlier but things got busy at the office,” Shiro starts to explain but gets cut off by the younger.

“It’s all right, Shiro. You shouldn’t feel obliged to do anything.”

Keith watches as Shiro closes his eyes and breathes out heavily. This time the older doesn’t stop himself from moving forward until he’s just a foot away from the other. Carefully, so as not to surprise Keith further, Shiro slowly lifts his hand and tucks a stray hair behind the younger’s ear. The shorter man restrains himself from trembling, stops himself from crumbling down and throwing himself into Shiro. This sweet, sweet man who is nothing but kind to him.

“Keith, listen to me.” Shiro tries to bend down to be eye level with the younger, catching Keith’s gaze when the other turns his face the other way again. “Look, I, I want to continue going out on dates with you. I want to do more things with you and get to know you more than I already do.” Keith looks up and he sees nothing but sincerity in Shiro’s eyes. “I’m sorry, Keith, but I cannot let you go.” The younger feels his eyes sting, his vision turning blurry and his nose suddenly running as heat creeps up to his face. Shiro cups his cheeks, wipes away the tears with his calloused thumbs and Keith feels nothing but tenderness in his actions and softness in his eyes when he proclaims, “I want to marry you.”

“But Shiro,” Keith looks down, tries to pry his face out of the older’s firm yet gentle hold, “you deserve someone better. I can’t be your spouse. You’ve seen what happened. What if that happens again? What if–”

“I won’t let it happen again.” Shiro lifts his face so they can look at each other again and Keith wants to think that the older is just saying things to make the wedding happen but his expression is too genuine and Keith knows that the other is not a good actor. “I promise, Keith. I will never leave you again, even if somebody tells me that I have to.” Shiro gently squeezes Keith’s face between his hands and he’s so close that the younger can count his eyelashes and see the red that’s starting to form in his eyes. “Please, Keith. I don’t want to lose you. I can’t.” The older pleads, voice breathy as he lets one hand slip down to the smaller male’s upper arm, squeezing it before going further down to Keith’s gloved hand.

“Will you please give me, give us,” Shiro corrects, “another chance?”

Keith blinks and tries to keep the tears at bay while he nods, unable to deny Shiro what he wants. The older pulls him close and embraces him, allowing his tears to wet the front of Shiro’s shirt. And just like that, all the worries Keith had about not being good enough for Shiro disappear after one tight squeeze.

 

“Did you really tell your parents?” Shiro asks later when Keith walks him to his car, their hands held tightly between them.

“No, not yet,” the younger answers, a finger busy playing at a curl in his hair as he feels his palm sweat against Shiro’s.

“You mean, not anymore, right?” Shiro beams as he corrects him.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” The older asks as they come to a halt in front of his car, the matte black colour something that Keith had suggested when the taller male first got the car.

“Yeah.”

Shiro pulls the smaller man into a hug again and before the younger can even react and reciprocate, the other whispers into his ear, “Good night, Keith,” and then he lets go. Keith is unable to return the greeting, instead he just hums and nods, stepping back from the vehicle when Shiro finally opens the car door. The older looks happy when he rolls his window down, smiling at Keith and waving goodbye before speeding away. 

Needless to say, Keith has a hard time falling asleep that night as he marvels at the image of Shiro’s smile, afraid that if he falls asleep, he will forget what it looks like.

VVVVV

As they have agreed on, they speak nothing of the incident to either of their families and they continue to see each other and spend time with one another. Sometimes Keith comes over to Shiro’s place after hanging out with the gang just so they can have time to themselves. Sometimes Keith even stays the night but he insists on sleeping in a separate room from Shiro. Sometimes Shiro comes to the Kogane residence just to see Keith on the weekends, when he upgrades his cars or just checks on them, cleaning them himself because he cannot trust anybody else with his so-called children. Shiro would offer to help him from time to time but after the first time when he completely made a mess in Keith’s garage, the younger had banned him from helping.

It is that kind of day when Shiro comes over again to visit Keith.

“Master Keith, Master Takashi is here to see you,” one of the maids announces as she stands on the other side of the open garage door. Keith just nods and waves for her to let him in.

“Am I still not allowed to help?” Shiro asks right away after entering through the garage door. The taller male has taken to wearing casual clothing whenever he visits Keith on the weekends that he is not busy. Even though they have been friends for years and it should be nothing that should make his heart skip a beat, it still does whenever he sees the other stride into his space wearing a plain white shirt, denim jeans and sneakers with the occasional cap or jacket. Seeing Shiro so laid back fills his thoughts with coming home to Shiro wearing something more comfortable.

Keith quickly turns his head away, focusing on hosing down his car with soap before Shiro can even notice the blush on his cheeks. “I told you many times, I can handle it.”

“I’m not saying you can’t,” Shiro defends, no malice in his tone. “I just thought maybe we can bond over this too.” The smaller male can still see the other’s reflection on the window of his car and Shiro’s smile blinds Keith momentarily. The younger nods and lets Shiro take hold of the hose. He regrets it the next second when the older points it at him and presses the nozzle, hosing him down with foam.

“I’m,” Shiro starts, apology broken by a snort, “sorry.”

Instead of responding, Keith grabs the hose for the water and sprays Shiro with it. The older stands stock still, confused, his mouth opening and closing without a sound coming from it. The shock on the taller man’s face fuels Keith. He smirks and once more blasts Shiro with water. This wakes the other from his shock and he uses the hose in his hand to repeat what he did earlier, only this time he comes closer until they are showering each other with their own weapons. Laughter echoes inside the garage as the two continue until they are soaked down to their last layer of clothing, water and soap mixing.

Keith feels a strong arm around his waist and when he looks up he realizes how close they’ve gotten. Usually he would push the other away but there’s something promising about Shiro’s smile and the way his eyes sparkle when he looks at Keith keeps the shorter man there, with the older. The laughter dies down and they continue to just look at each other’s eyes, allowing themselves to get lost in them. Shiro eventually lets go of the hose, loosening Keith’s hold on the hose he has to let it fall to the ground as well. He cups Keith’s cheeks just like the night when they decided that the marriage will carry on as planned, the night Shiro said he cannot let Keith go.

Despite how cold his body is from the water, the younger feels his face grow warm at the older’s touch, eyes falling down to Shiro’s chest so he can avoid eye contact. The view is too distracting, however, as the white shirt is now transparent from being wet, Shiro’s shapely chest and erect nipples very visible through it. Once more, Keith moves his gaze, this time staring down at their feet even when he feels Shiro gently coaxing him to lift his face. Eventually, Keith gives in and meets Shiro’s eyes again. He can see the older get closer, the gap between them slowly disappearing and he has an idea what the other is trying to do but he allows it, his body does, he just stays still and waits for it.

“Master!” The butler calls from the garage door and Keith hears Shiro sigh, sees the older closing his eyes with a hint of frustration but Keith says nothing about it, following the butler’s instructions when the old man gives him a towel to dry himself.

 

“Here.” Shiro hands Keith a small box with pastel coloured designs, musical notes, instruments, and some silhouettes of food items. The older urges him to open it and sits beside him on the couch after showering and changing into some dry clothes. After throwing the towel around his neck, Shiro clarifies, “It’s Hunk’s event.”

“Is this the date he wants us to have?” Keith asks as he sees a pair of silicone bracelets on one side, a small envelope tucked beneath them and two gold-coloured tumblers with the event’s name, an island with a familiar name and the event dates.

“Yeah, I guess.” Shiro shrugs when he answers, not wanting to push it on Keith but also wanting to be honest with him. “You don’t have to think of it that way,” the older says as he takes one of the bracelets and wraps it around Keith’s wrist. “Lance, Katie and Matt are also given VIP passes for it.”

What bothers Keith isn’t treating this as their date but rather being with a whole bunch of people, a crowd he doesn’t know.

“I know you’re probably thinking of the amount of people there,” Shiro cuts through Keith’s internal dialogue as if he can read the younger’s mind. “We can just have a look, drop by and try some of the food then we can go back to our hotel room.”

“ _Our_ hotel room?” Keith asks, giving emphasis to the word ‘our’. This immediately makes Shiro blush, pulling his hand away from Keith’s wrist to scratch the back of his neck.

“Yeah,” the older answers sheepishly, the blush on his cheeks evident, “Hunk only reserved one room for us during our stay but if you want I can ask my assistant to book a separate room for me–”

“It’s okay,” Keith interrupts the taller male, absentmindedly playing with the band on his wrist. When he lifts his gaze to see Shiro’s stunned expression, he stifles a laugh. “We have to get used to living together anyway.”

The older man gulps and nods, turning his body away from Keith’s, losing the confidence he usually has on his broad shoulders. Keith reaches out and firmly squeezes Shiro’s shoulders as if to massage them and this time he lets his lips stretch a little because of the shock in the taller male’s eyes. Keith knows he has to get used to physical contact and close proximity but he doesn’t think he will ever mind if it was Shiro, so he lets himself be drawn to the older until there’s only a few inches left between them.

“Are you going to fly us to the island?” Keith asks, smiling wider when Shiro gives him a dumbfounded expression.

“Umm, I could. I haven’t really thought about it,” the older answers honestly. “But if you want me to…” he trails off, bravely meeting Keith’s gaze.

Keith meets him head on and without missing a beat, he answers, “I want you to.”

“Then I guess our transportation is settled,” Shiro smiles at him, reaches for the hand that Keith still has on his shoulder and squeezes it.

“My only fear is that Lance will want to ride with us,” Keith furrows his eyebrows and this instantly draws a laugh from Shiro who lifts his hand and uses his thumb to smooth the wrinkled skin between the younger’s eyes.

“Lance will probably not insist since he also wants to impress Katie.” 

This time, it’s Keith who gives Shiro a confused expression, unconsciously tilting his head slightly as his eyebrows knit together once more.

“They’re dating, Keith.”

“What?”

Shiro laughs at the younger’s reaction as it is almost exactly the same as his when he heard the news. The two are still hush-hush about it but they’re slowly becoming so obvious that Shiro is surprised Keith hasn’t picked up on it yet. The older just nods and watches with an amused expression as the shorter man’s face contorts in disbelief.

“Insane.”

“Yup.”

“I don’t know if I should be happy or not.” Shiro laughs once again, shaking his head and telling Keith that he shares the same thought but that as long as the two are happy, he will support them.

“How could have Matt allowed this?” Keith whispers under his breath, as if Lance and Katie seeing each other is a difficult Math problem for him to solve.

“I am curious about that as well.”

“We should ask him when he returns.” Keith sounds determined and when he turns to Shiro, the taller man still has that smile that makes flowers bloom in the younger’s chest but Keith can’t keep his gaze away, mesmerized by it.

VVVVV

“Hey Keef!” Lance greets, waving his arms above his head like they were jelly. Keith blatantly ignores him but he returns Katie’s good morning.

“Are you still mad at me? It wasn’t my fault.” Lance pouts and from the corner of his eye, Keith can see Katie comfort the other.

“He’s ignoring you because you didn’t call him by his name,” Shiro defends from beside Keith, a hand instinctively reaching out for the younger’s elbow to maneuver him to the doors, out of the hotel.

“He’s right,” Katie inserts, and she receives a look of disbelief and betrayal from Lance.

“Did you guys see Hunk?” Shiro interrupts, willing the conversation away to something else.

“He’s already at the venue.” Lance points to an area near the hotel where tents are already set up. Beyond it, a stage can also be seen where strobe lights illuminate the small area for the DJs. The entrance already has a long line of festival goers and the sight makes Keith grab onto the back of Shiro’s shirt. The taller male takes his hand and asks him if he still wants to go because they don’t have to if he does not feel comfortable about it.

“We’ll go,” Keith says bravely, squeezing Shiro’s hand with conviction. “We can just go back to the hotel early if I don’t feel like it anymore.”

As Shiro promised Keith, they don’t stay too long, catching just a few performances after having their fill of the food prepared by the different participants in the food festival Hunk organized. They lost Lance and Katie halfway to the night and with the thick crowd they decide to forego the search, and head back to the hotel. They bump into Allura (who happens to be the head of the festival’s production team), however, and ask her to pass the message to Hunk that they’ll retire for the night already. She promises to let their friends know if she comes across them and bids them good night.

“You can stay if you want,” Keith says as they walk back to the hotel, hand in hand.

“It’s not going to be that fun,” Shiro answers, intertwining his fingers with Keith’s. “Besides, we still have tomorrow. We should just rest for now so we can still go surfing and swimming tomorrow morning. What do you think?”

Keith nods and smiles to himself, feeling the warmth of Shiro’s palm against his, the rhythmic tapping of the older’s index finger on the back of his hand and the way his thumb caresses Keith’s pointer finger. He could really get used to this.

When Keith awakes early the next morning, Shiro is already doing push-ups on the floor without a shirt on. They’ve opted for a suite with two separate rooms which thankfully was still available when they checked-in. But the rooms are rather small, so Shiro does his exercises in the common area. Keith almost screams out, realizing 0.2 seconds later that it’s Shiro and not some stranger. He gulps at the sight of muscles rippling and bulging beneath the skin with every move Shiro makes and he has to inhale deeply to calm himself enough to get to the kitchen so he can have some cereal for breakfast.

“Ah, you’re awake!” Shiro stands up promptly and strides to where Keith is, unaware that his half-naked form is making the younger’s stomach flip. “Want to hit the beach after you eat something? There’s not a lot of people yet so it should be fine.”

“Uh, mm,” Keith answers, faking a yawn before turning around so he doesn’t have to look at Shiro’s hard chest and ripped abdominals.

“Okay, I’ll change and wait for you to finish then.” Fortunately, Shiro goes into his room after his announcement so Keith can eat in peace. He rushes after finishing his food, knowing how fast Shiro moves and the possibility that he may come back out still not wearing a shirt.

Shiro, thankfully, wears a tank top that is removed once they reached the beach. The older offers to put sunblock on Keith which the shorter man doesn’t reject, although he regrets it a little later when he starts feeling the other’s hands kneading his muscles as Shiro applies the liquid on his skin. He is glad for Lance’s absence because he is certain the other will tease them for it.

It has been a while since Keith last surfed and it’s not a surprise when he falls off his board every now and then. Shiro is there every time though, encouraging him to get back on his board or ask him how he is when it’s a particularly nasty fall. Keith was never fond of surfing; he hated how he can barely control anything. But because of Shiro’s constant encouragement, he has learned to love it.

When they decide to go back to shore and stay there for a bit, it is still just eight in the morning. They order some fruits and juice for snacks from the hotel while they watch the water and listen to the waves hit the sand. There are a lot of places to see in the area where they’re at but Keith decides that he wants to stay there; he’s never been one to go out and do much sight seeing anyway. Besides, Shiro has fallen asleep on his beach chair and though it may look a bit creepy, Keith just wants to watch the older for a while until there are too many people for him to be able to enjoy it. 

Shiro is woken by the laughter of a group of guys who have come down to the beach to surf and Keith sends them a glare before he stands up and tells the taller male that they better return to their room. The older nods and follows at his heels despite the grogginess that clings on the corner of his eyes. Keith finds it adorable. He rarely finds anything cute but he can’t really think of another word to describe Shiro at that moment.

They spend the rest of the morning flipping through TV channels before settling on watching a movie on Shiro’s laptop which he claims isn’t for work. Keith knows he’s lying though, after having heard the older speak to his assistant the day before. The smaller male also catches the other checking his phone frequently and he can only think that it is because of work. Shiro is part of a big company, it’s to be expected. But sometimes Keith wishes Shiro can just relax and not worry too much about it, considering the fact that the other also has his brothers taking care of the company.

A few minutes past noon, Shiro asks Keith, “Do you want to go out and find a place to eat at? Maybe go for a bit of sightseeing and some shopping too?”

Keith would just love to say no, that he just wants to stay in his room and that Shiro can go out if he is really looking to see the area. But, he knows the older is trying and he can’t exactly reject the other’s efforts when Shiro is giving him such a soft expression. So he gives in, much to the taller man’s delight and the smile he gives Keith is so bright, the younger already knows it is worth it.

After driving around the area, the two manage to find an authentic Spanish restaurant where they settle for a good two hours. Keith doesn’t remember when he last talked so much with anyone but it feels natural to converse with Shiro, nothing is forced out of him and he likes hearing the other respond to his stories. They hit up some stores around the area before driving out of town to get to an observation deck that Allura suggested to them when they first got there.

Keith was so certain that there would be a lot of people at their destination that he’s pleasantly surprised to find out that there are only a few people. There are benches as well and they are lucky to find an available one. The place overlooks the side of the island where the town is, giving them a colourful view of the painted buildings, the foliage that separates the developed area from the beach and the vast ocean that stretches as far as their eyes can see. Keith pulls out his phone and takes photos of the view. Shiro does the same, taking more shots than Keith does before sitting down beside the younger again.

“We should take a photo together,” Shiro says with a requesting tone in his voice as he scrolls through the photos he has taken, “to commemorate this trip.”

“We should stand there then.” Keith nods towards the railings before standing up. Shiro looks up to him with a surprised expression, having not expected the younger to go along with his idea. The smaller man turns away and smiles, keeping his back turned until Shiro reaches him. Shiro switches to his front camera and points it towards them. The distance between them gradually disappear with every picture they take. Keith doesn’t move away when the older finally puts an arm around his shoulder to pull him close, their face cheek to cheek to take a few more photos. The younger laughs internally when he sees the red on the apple of Shiro’s cheeks before he finally walks away to sit down again.

They spend the rest of the time watching the clouds and the waves move while the breeze caresses their faces and keeps them cool under the shade. At some point, Shiro’s hand finds its way to Keith’s again and the younger boldly laces their fingers together before placing his head on the taller male’s shoulder. He stores into his memory the way Shiro flinches then relaxes, smiling to himself when he feels the older lay his head on his own.

When they return to their hotel room, Lance and Katie are waiting for them, his head on her lap while they talk about how he can make designs that her girlfriend can incorporate to her works. Keith can hear Shiro grumble about regretting giving Lance their extra key.

“Oh, finally, you’re back!” Lance jumps up and sits upright beside Katie. “We were beginning to think you’d forgotten about the festival tonight.”

“Can we not go tonight?” Keith whispers to himself which Shiro easily picks up because of the lack of distance between them.

“We can just rest, if you want.” Shiro turns to him. There’s no hint of disappointment in his voice, just concern. “We were out most of the day so it’s to be expected that you’re tired.”

“But guys,” Lance shrieks from sofa then he stands up and walks closer to them, “the DJ duo Voltron will be performing tonight! We can’t miss them!” From where Katie is still seated on the sofa, Keith can hear her sigh heavily, having completely given up.

“Voltron?” Shiro asks, completely unaware.

“Yes! Voltron!” Lance sounds pumped. “When I say Vol! You say Tron! Vol!” The architect points his hand holding a non-existent mic towards Keith, expecting him catch onto the chant.

“V-Voltron?” Keith awkwardly answers, unsure if he’s doing it correctly.

“No.” Lance groans and pulls his hair. Katie then stands up, sick of watching everything that’s happening in front of her.

“We’ll just go ahead,” she says, pulling her boyfriend’s hands down so he can stop before he loses all of his hair. “You guys don’t need to come if you don’t want to but make sure you have something to eat.” Before Lance can protest and pull Shiro and Keith with them, Katie hurriedly drags her boyfriend out of the room.

They take their time and rest for a bit before going out again, deciding to just get some food then leaving the venue to sit by the beach. They can still hear the music from where they are anyway. This way they can still enjoy the festival without having to be in the middle of a crowd.

Shiro improvises and makes a bonfire, a small one but still enough to add lighting. Unlike their lunch, they sit in comfortable silence as they slowly consume the food they’ve picked up from the different food stalls at the festival. After finishing only half of his food, Shiro stands up to get each of them two more bottles of beer. When the older returns, they hear the DJ duo that Lance was telling them about a little earlier introduce themselves and Keith finally understands what the designer was trying to make him do a while ago. He even whispers against the rim of his beer bottle in response whenever the duo eggs the crowd to finish the chant.

Even after emptying their plates, the two stay silent and continue drinking until their bottles are empty. Much like the time they spent at the observation deck, they sit side by side, having already broken the wall that used to stand in the way of them progressing and being more intimate. Shiro takes Keith’s hand and inspects it, compares it with his much larger one before lifting it up high enough that he only needs to lean his head down a little so he can kiss the back of the younger’s hand.

This is new but unlike Keith’s usual reaction to things that he isn’t used to, the younger doesn’t run away from it, he doesn’t feel the same fright as before. Instead, Keith feels warm. The touch of Shiro’s lips against his skin and the hot breath that he emits, they all make him feel something he has never felt before. When he meets Shiro’s gaze, he finally understands what it is. So when the older moves closer, he doesn’t turn his head away or give any sign that he doesn’t want what is about to happen, because he does. His eyes instantly close when Shiro’s other hand cups the side of his face, his own hand rising to grab the older’s arm as if to brace himself.

There’s a split second when Keith feels Shiro’s warm exhale fan across his skin, a moment given to him to pull away but he doesn’t. Then something soft presses against his lips, firm and oozing with emotions that the older has bottled up throughout the years. Keith responds eagerly, not holding himself back anymore, molding and gliding his lips with Shiro’s. When he feels the taller male’s tongue swipe on his lower lip, he shudders, a moan slipping past his lips when he opens them to let Shiro in.

After a while, they pull away from each other even if their bodies are screaming to be as close as humanly possible. Shiro plants his forehead against Keith’s and he gives out a breathy laugh which the younger mirrors, only to be cut off by the older giving him a peck on the lips. Keith then lifts his head and lets his lips meet Shiro’s again and again and again, with the moon, the stars and the ocean as their witness.


End file.
